Evils Offspring
by trinastar818
Summary: Orihime stared at the stick in her hand. It was impossible. This was impossible. There was no way this was happening... "It's because of you that Aizen managed to do what he did and yet we're the ones who have to pay the price for it. So you tell me, how is that just or fair?" My take on what happened after Aizen, to both Orihime and Momo.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

**This is my first fanfic. Yeah, it kind of sucks. Review and maybe I'll get better. ;)**

_2 Years Ago…_

Orihime stared at the stick in her hand. It was impossible. This was impossible. There was no way this was happening.

"What does it say?" The other girl asked her, already guessing her answer from the ashen expression on her face.

She didn't answer, just staring down at the little plus sign on the stick.

"Orihime?" she called softly, getting up from her spot on the couch and walking over to her friend.

Instead of answering, Oriheme just sank down slowly to the floor. The other girl was at her side in flash. She glanced at the stick and it confirmed what she had already guessed. She wrapped her arms around Orihime. "It's okay," she said softly. "Everything is going to be okay."

She stared up at her with a tortured expression. "How? How is this okay? How will this ever be okay?" Her whole body stiffened as a horrible realization hit her. "When… if…"

A hand gently brushed the hair out of her face and she looked up to see that her friends eyes were filled with concern. "What is it? What are you thinking, Orihime?"

Tears started to stream down Orihime's face. "When the Soul Society finds out… are they… will they…"

Her friends face fell as she understood Orihime's train of thought. "I don't know."

Their eyes locked. "Don't lie to me." Orihime's voice was firm and her eyes were hardened by an inner strength that hadn't been seen before the incident with Aizen. If anything good had come from that occurrence it was that Orihime had found her backbone.

"Yes, they will probably kill both of you. There's still some dispute over the fact that you were left alive and free to do as you please even though you had been declared a traitor. The Head-Captain did publically announce that you weren't a traitor and that you had in fact been kidnapped by Aizen, but there are many who think that you did betray us and the only reason you got off so easy is because of your relationship with Ichigo."

Orihime sighed. "I can see why people would think that."

They sat in silence for a long moment before Orihime sighed and stood up. She wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly walked into the kitchen. Her friend got up to follow her.

"So," she asked Orihime after a long moment. "What do you want to do?"

Orihime continued to stare out the window for a moment before turning back and surprising her with a trademark grin. "The only thing I can do."

She stared at her for a moment. "And that is…" she prodded when Orihime failed to continue.

Orihime looked shocked that she hadn't automatically knew. "Well, I'm not going to just sit around and wait for the Soul Society to find out and decide my fate and that of… this." She gestured wildly with her hands. "So you see, I only have the one option."

"Again, I ask what that option is?"

Orihime smiled again. "I have to run away."

The other girl froze. _Run away?_ The more she thought about it the more she realized that Orihime was right. There was no way this situation would end well if she stayed. The only chance she had was if she ran. But she wouldn't last long by herself.

While she waited for the other girls response, Orihime began to plan things out in her head. She knew this was her only option, she knew that she could do this, she just wasn't sure how.

Her head snapped up when she heard her friends response. "Okay then. When do we leave?"

They locked eyes for a moment and then both girls smiled.

**Okay guys, so what do think? Thoughts, comments, concerns? Does this make you want another chapter? Which there will be; this isn't some awkward one-shot. Please please please review!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Alrighty, so here is the first legit chapter of ****Evil's Offspring. ****That first upload was just a prologue. Any guess's as to who the girl was Orihime was talking too? Dang, guess it's kind of too late to ask that. Shout out to KazumaKaname for being my first reviewer! Thanks so much! Anyway, here's the chapter. Hope you enjoy! **

Chapter 1

_Present Day_

"As you are all aware there has been an increase in the number of disappearances in the Rukongai as of late. According to Squad 12, these disappearances are due to internal quarrels and bear no connection to the mass disappearances of hollows in Hueco Mundo."

The other Captains of the Gotei 13 stared at Captain-Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto as he spoke with varying degrees of interest, most noticeably of which was Squad 8 Captain Shunsui Kyoraku, who looked as if he was suffering from a massive hangover, Squad 11 Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, who was smirking slightly and was probably imagining a fight he either had had or was going to have, and Squad 12 Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who was audibly sighing and looking bored.

"Has there been any other information found concerning the disturbances in Hueco Mundo?" asked Squad 4 Captain Retsu Unohana.

Before the Head Captain could answer her, there was a knock outside the door. All of the Captains looked at it in surprise. It was almost unheard of for a Captains meeting to be interrupted unless it was an emergency. Squad 2 Captain Sui-Feng glared at the door in outrage.

"Enter," called out the Head Captain, annoyance at the interruption clear in his voice.

The doors opened to reveal a kneeling squad member. "Sir," he spoke clearly, head still lowered. "We have located and retrieved the former Squad 5 lieutenant, Momo Hinamori, and the human Orihime Inoue."

Every Captain in the room was visibly surprised by the news. "You've found Momo?" Squad 10 Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya asked softly, eyes wide.

"Yes, sir," replied the soul reaper.

"Why have you interrupted this meeting to tell us this? That information could've waited until this meeting was adjourned." Sui-Feng had regained her annoyance after the initial shock of the news had passed.

It had been two years since Momo Hinamori and Orihime Inoue were last seen. Just weeks after Sosuke Aizen had been defeated and sentenced to 20,000 years in Muken, the 8th and lowest level of the underground prison beneath Squad 1 barracks, Momo had disappeared from Squad 4's hospital, where she had been recovering from her wounds during the battle in the fake Karakura town. A few days later, Orihime had been declared missing in the World of the Living. There were no traces of either left behind, making it appear as if both had disappeared into thin air.

Considering both of their connections to Aizen, many in the Soul Society had feared that the two girls had been planning a way to release Aizen from his prison and had run away to rejoin with any living allies he had left. After days of nothing turned into weeks, and then to months and a year, it had been thought that the girls had not run away and were not planning to try and free Aizen; that they may have, in fact, been kidnapped. As the silence continued though, most serious efforts to find them had dwindled away. To be told that now, after so long and with so much going on, that they had been found was causing many mixed emotions to arise. They were all relieved that the girls had been found, but was it really a coincidence that they reappeared now?

"We were given orders to inform the Head Captain immediately once either one or both of them had been found and brought back safely to the Seireitei," responded the nameless soul reaper to Sui-Feng. He then spoke again to the Head Captain. "What are your orders, sir?"

"Bring them here immediately," answered the Head Captain.

"Yes, sir." The man shunpoed away. It was silent in the room as everyone waited, occasionally glancing over at Hitsugaya to try and measure his reaction to the events occurring because he was the one who would be affected most by their reappearance. His face was carefully blank but his mind was whirling around with emotions. _Momo. Momo's back. And she's safe. Was she and Oriheme purposefully together or was it just a coincidence? And if they were together, then why?_

There was movement out in the hallway and then Momo and Orihime were dragged into the room by 4 soul reapers and were followed in by several other. Both girls' arms were bound by chains of energy that was unmistakably Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku.

"Why are they bound?" asked Squad 13 Captain Juushiro Ukitake, visibly confused at why they were restrained by such a high level kido.

"They strongly resisted us when we tried to bring them back and several soul reapers were badly injured as a result," explained one of the guards. Many of the Captains faces showed shock at the information and Kenpachi looked at the two prisoners with renewed interest.

Both girls' heads were down and their expressions were hidden in shadows. After they had been forced to kneel on the floor in the middle of the rows of Captains, Momo finally looked up and immediately locked eyes with Toshiro Hitsugaya. His eyes widened at what he saw. The expression on her face was one he had never seen before; not even when she'd thought he'd killed Aizen or when she had appeared in the fake Karakura Town to fight the Arrancars and Aizen. It was the look of pure, undiluted rage. Another thing that shocked him was the bands wrapped around her mouth.

"Why is she gagged?" he asked, gesturing to her mouth.

"Even after we bound her she was still releasing kido spells."

Squad 6 Captain Byakuya Kuchiki's eyebrows rose at this. "Even with her hands bound?"

"Yes," another guard answered, shifting his stance to show a large burn on his leg.

All eyes turned back to Momo, expressions ranging from confused to hostile and, on Kenpachi's face, somewhat excited. "Leave us," ordered the Head Captain.

"Yes?" He then inquired when the guards visibly hesitated.

"Sir, there was someone else with them when they were located."

"So?"

"So, sir, we thought it best that you see this for yourself. We brought all three here." He kept his voice even and his face blank as he spoke but there were obvious traces of fear in his reitsu.

The Head Captains eyes opened at this and he studied the people before him intently. "Bring this other person in," he ordered after a moment of deliberation.

"Yes, sir," One of the men left the room and walked into the hallway.

"So," said one of the Captains during the momentary silence. "How have you been, Orihime?"

Her head snapped up at the sound of her name and the voice that was saying it. "Shinji? Shinji Hirako?"

"Hey, hey! That's Captain Shinji Hirako now!" he replied in his normal, carefree tone.

Momo looked away from Hitsugaya to see where Shinji was standing. Her eyebrows rose and she made a small noise through her gag. "You're the new Captain of Squad 5?" Orihime asked when she too noticed where he was standing.

"Technically speaking, I'm not the new Captain. More like the returning Captain, seeing as how I was Captain before Aizen." He kept his eyes trained on Orihime's face.

Before anything else could be said there were footsteps from the hall. Orihime froze up and her face turned panicked. Momo started to struggle as hard as possible against her bonds. Their responses just made the Captains that much more intrigued as to who this third person could be.

Tears began to stream down Orihime's face as a soul reaper walked into the room carrying a small unconscious boy. They were unable to see his face at first until the man shifted him in his arms and his face was tilted at an angle where they could all get a good look at him. He had deep brown hair, visibly chiseled features despite still having his baby fat, and was an distinctly smaller version of Sosuke Aizen. They reacted immediately.

"What the hell?!" cried Squad 9 Captain Kensei Muguruma.

"Impossible," growled Squad 7 Captain Sajin Komamura.

Sui-Feng's response was the loudest though. "He had a kid?" she hissed in shock. After a second her expression hardened. "Well, what are you waiting for? Kill it!"

"No!" shrieked Orihime. "No! Please! PLEASE! Don't hurt him! He's just a baby. He's not Aizen. He's just a baby. He's my baby. Please." Her words were almost indistinguishable through her sobs.

It was chaos. The Captains were all shouting at each other, the guards were unsure what they do, and Momo and Orihime were both desperately trying to get free. "That is enough." the Head Captains voice rang out.

Everyone froze. The Head Captains eyes were all the way open and it seemed like actual flames were evident in their depths. "You," he ordered, looking at the guards surrounding the girls. "Leave. Now."

Again they hesitated. "What should we do with the child?"

Ukitake stepped forward. "I'll take him."

The man handed the boy over to him and Ukitake cradled him gently in his arms. With one last bow to the Captains assembled they left. Orihime and Momo were both shaking but their eyes stayed locked onto the little boys face.

"Explain yourselves," ordered Sui-Feng, moving to stand in front of them. Orihime didn't react but Momo turned to look at the small woman. Her eyes narrowed and she tried to say something through her gag.

"Sorry," the Captain said with a smirk in the former lieutenants direction. "Can't understand what you're saying."

"She said go to hell," Orihime spoke up, still staring at the boy.

Sui-Feng snarled at her but before she could say anything the Head Captain spoke again. "I said enough. Take your place Captain."

She immediately did as she was told. Another moment passed with no words said as all the Captains looked back and forth between the two girls and the small boy.

Ukitake spoke up again. "Orihime, who is this?"

She tore her eyes away from the boy to stare at him for a long moment, a sort of desperate air surrounding her. Oriheme took a deep breath and then said, "His name is Aisamu Sora Inoue. He's my son."

**Alright so what did you think? Good, bad? Was it unexpected? Sorry if any of the characters seem wrong. The one I'm most worried about writing is Momo. It's just so hard to write in her voice because the only time we really see her talk is when she's either freaking out or explaining things. Sigh. Anyway, the boys name is a combination of Ai, which means love, and Isamu, which means courage or bravery in case you were wondering. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**And here we are at Chapter 2! Although, I think the prologue got listed as a Chapter so that would make this Chapter 3. Whatever. I really enjoyed the comments I got! And I deeply apologize for my failure as a Bleach fan. It was pointed out to me that I was spelling Orihime's name wrong. I actually fell off my bed when I read that. I am so embarrassed. I've already gone back and fixed that mistake but I wanted to formally apologize for that. This chapter is dedicated to my darling sister. She seems to feel undervalued and unloved but that's really not the case; she's just the easiest to tease. ;) Well, here you go! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The silence in the meeting room was almost as deafening as when all the Captains had been shouting at each other. Which Orihime thought was strange because how could silence be deafening? And yet at that moment, she felt like her eardrums were ringing with the loudness of the silence.

"Your son?" Ukitake repeated, the disbelief in his voice tinged with horror.

"You were pregnant? That thing was inside of you?" Sui-Feng's voice was filled with disgust.

Momo started mumbling something through her gag again and Orihime was now glad that the guards had gagged her. When Orihime had first met Momo, she had been the type of person to deal with stressful or awkward situations by being as still as possible and only speaking when it was absolutely necessary. Now though, she had become a person who said whatever came to mind and the worse the situation was, the ruder her comments became. Normally Orihime had no problem letting Momo say whatever she wanted to, she felt it was healthier for Momo to let it out rather than bottle it up, but in this situation her comment could be what killed them.

"I believe it is time for you two to explain yourselves," the Head Captain said calmly, one had resting on his staff.

Orihime nodded and then glanced over at Momo. "Um, sir? Could you please un-gag Momo? She should be allowed to explain some things herself."

His gaze settled on Momo. "That depends on whether or not she can control her temper enough to be allowed the privilege to speak."

Momo's eyebrows shot up as high as they could go. "Mmhhmm hm? Hmm mm mhmm mhhhm hm mmhmm?"

Orihime was really glad she was gagged. "She can do that! That's not a problem!" she chirped. "Right, Momo?"

Momo just looked at her and she seemed to be thinking something along the lines of, "Hell no."

Orihime glared at her. "Momo," she hissed. "Please. For me."

Momo rolled her eyes. "Hmmhmm."

"You know," Shinji said, his trademark grin in place. "It'd be a lot easier if you would just nod your head yes or shake your head no to a question."

Momo glowered at him before she nodded as slowly and sarcastically as she could manage while being bound and gagged. Someone stepped up from behind her and the gag dropped down to the floor. She coughed a couple times and moved her jaw around.

"I 'aid 'or 'ow," she rasped out.

"What?" Shinji asked.

Momo swallowed a few times. "I said that what I was mumbling was 'For now'. As in, I will play nice with you all, for now."

"Of course," he responded, nodding condescendingly at her. Her eyes narrowed. Looks like she had lucked out leaving when she had, otherwise she would have been stuck with this moron for a Captain.

"Your explanation," the Head Captain reminded them.

" Right. Yes. Explanation." Orihime said and after a second turned to Momo. "You should probably start at least. After all, you were the one who figured this all out."

Momo looked at her for a second and nodded. Turning back to the Head Captain, she started to speak. "Alright. As you already know, a few weeks after the war ended I snuck out of my room in Squad 4. After I left, I immediately headed to the World of Living to find Orihime."

"Why?" Toshiro interrupted. "Why did you leave, Momo?" He felt slightly awkward being so informal with her in such a formal setting, but it had been so long since he had last seen her that he felt that, for now at least, he should drop the formalities.

She glanced back at him and answered coldly, "Because I wanted to check on Orihime."

"Yes, but why?" Kuchiki now spoke up. "You had no previous contact or connection with her."

"Yes, I did." Momo answered quietly. "I was connected to her because I was the only one who truly understood what it felt like to be trapped by Aizen."

She paused again to collect her thoughts, staring intently at the floor in front of the Head Captain. "After everything that happened with Aizen and the war and being in the hospital… it was a lot to deal with. And I never got a chance to deal with it while I was here. I was constantly surrounded by people and I get it, you all were just concerned with how I was dealing with things. But having people there all the time made it impossible to deal with things. Then one of the many visitors I had mentioned Orihime and that it was lucky she was okay. I had remembered hearing something about her being kidnapped by Aizen, so I asked them about her. How she was doing, was she okay, what happened to her; you know, those types of questions. They just shrugged their shoulders at me and said that she seemed fine. They had no idea what happened to her in Hueco Mundo; no one had bothered to ask her and she hadn't felt like sharing. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She had just been sent off with a 'Sorry' and a wave and that was it? No one was staying with her or checking on her? That seemed foolish to me so I went to see her myself." Momo paused, and then Orihime picked up where she had left off.

"I hadn't expected to see Momo. Actually, I hadn't really expected to see anyone. It had been weeks since I had left here and no one had come to check on me so I figured you guys didn't really care to know what had happened." It was hard for Orihime to be this honest, to show any face other than her normally cheerful one, but she knew that this was the best way to save herself, her friend, and her son.

"When she showed up at my door I was surprised. I had no idea who she was at first but once she told me her name I remembered Rangiku telling me that she was Aizen's lieutenant and that he had attacked her and put her in a coma before he left the Soul Society. I also remembered that he had tricked you all into attacking her during the fight here. I invited her in and she told me that she had come of her own accord to see how I was doing. She told me that she knew how hard it could be to recover after you had spent quality time with Aizen." A small smile spread across her face. "I tried to lie. I told her I was fine, that it really hadn't been that bad. She knew I was lying though. She told me that she was going to be staying in my world for a couple of days and was wondering if she could stay with me since Rangiku seemed to have so much fun while she was there. I didn't want to let her but I couldn't turn her away."

"Why didn't you want her to stay with you?" Ukitake asked, still cradling the sleeping child in his arms.

"Because I was lying about being alright and I knew that if she stayed with me it wouldn't take too long for her to work that out on her own."

Momo spoke up again. "As she had said, I knew she was lying. There were bags under her eyes, she was pale, and she just overall looked unhealthy. She had made dinner that night and I saw that she only took a few bites of her food; she mostly just pushed it around on her plate. When we finally went to bed, it was only a few hours before she woke up screaming. I calmed her down and she fell back asleep but then woke up again later screaming. She constantly had nightmares all throughout the night. Then in the morning when she tried to skip breakfast, I made her eat and then she threw up a little while later. It only took a few days before I realized that everything that was happing to her may not be just because of trauma."

"You thought that she might have been pregnant." Stated Unohana.

Momo nodded. "While I was bedridden, Rangiku had brought by some of the magazines she had picked up in the World of the Living for me to read. One of the articles was about what one should expect when they were expecting. It listed some of the symptoms that a pregnant woman would experience while being with child: such as feeling nauseous, feeling tired, dizzy, feeling adverse to certain foods or smells while craving other things, having heartburn, and also some pretty intense mood swings. It also said that some women have really intense dreams due to hormones. All of those things could also occur because of stress but I just wanted to make sure. At that point, she had already told me about what had happened to her and she hadn't mentioned anything about having… relations while she was gone but I specifically asked her if she had just to be sure. She said nothing had happened and I believed her, but that didn't mean that something hadn't happened and she just couldn't remember. So I went out and bought a pregnancy test. Orihime took it and it came back positive."

"So," Kurotsuchi interrupted. "You realized the girl was pregnant with Aizen's child and ran away."

"Not exactly," answered Orihime. "We knew that if I was pregnant that we would have to run away but at-home pregnancy tests aren't always accurate so Momo thought that first we should go to a clinic and get a blood test to find out for sure if I was pregnant so we did. It came back positive and the nurse had told me that I was about two months along."

"How were you unaware you were pregnant for so long?" asked Squad 3 Captain Rojuro Otoribashi, or Rose as he was better known as to Orihime. "Surely you would have noticed that your body was changing more so than what Hinamori was aware of."

"Well yes, but I had thought it was just stress. It wouldn't have been the first time that I had felt off due to stress." Orihime responded calmly.

"But two months?" asked Kyoraku. "That's a long time to be feeling off."

"Again, yes but most of that time was spent in Las Noches so I didn't find it odd that I wasn't feeling well while I was there and after I had gotten back."

"You do realize that it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies while she over there right?" Momo interjected. "She had other things to worry about than a stomachache and some nausea."

"Anyway," Orihime interrupted, determined to get things back on track so that this whole thing would be over as soon as possible. "After we found out I was really pregnant I started panicking. I mean, I didn't even remember having, you know, sex with anyone while I was there. I was worried that something had happened and I didn't remember and that there might be something wrong or damaged and when you're pregnant you're really emotional so I was a total mess. Momo took me to a different clinic to get me checked out because we couldn't really tell the nurse that I had spoken too and who had confirmed my pregnancy that I didn't remember having sex and asking her to check and make sure that it really happened."

"That," Momo interrupted again. "Was something we wanted to check because I knew there was a chance that Aizen might have done something to her using the Hogyoku, which would have… left… everything… intact." She looked slightly embarrassed at having to say something so delicate in nature but then continued on. "When we got to the other clinic, I told the doctor who was seeing us that a couple of months ago something had happened to Orihime and she may have been raped but she couldn't remember for sure and it was causing her health problems due to stress. The doctor told us that since it had been awhile there probably wouldn't be any outward signs of physical trauma but there may have been some inner ones. She looked at Orihime and declared that nothing had happened to her and everything was as it should be. That's when we realized that, most likely, this was Aizen's child. We had thought at first that it could've been an Arrancar's child, possibly even one of the Espada's but since there were no signs of rape, it was seriously unlikely that that was the case. It was at that point that we ran away."

"Did the possibility never occur to you," Kurotsuchi asked in his typical tone of haughtiness. "That this child was in fact a clone of Aizen as a sort of back-up plan if he should have failed?"

"Of course it did," Momo snapped. "Despite what you people seem to think of us, we aren't stupid or naïve. We knew there was a good chance of that, yet at the same time we couldn't kill an innocent child for what it could be. After he was born we took him to get a DNA test to see if Orihime was his biological mother. If she wasn't, then it would have been almost certain that the child was a clone. However, the test results showed that Orihime was his mother. Aizen may have planted a clone of himself inside her at first but over time, and most likely due to her powers, Aisamu could have grown to have her DNA. Or, and I find this the most likely possibility, he impregnated her as a way of messing with us. Either by trapping her too him so that even if she was rescued, once she found out she was pregnant she would have had to come back to him to keep the child safe or, in the unlikely event that he lost, this type of situation would happen. He would find what's happening at this exact moment utterly amusing."

"So," Ukitake murmured. "This really is your child."

"Yes," answered Orihime. "He really is. He's not Aizen."

"Why hasn't the kid woken up yet?" asked Zaraki, speaking for the first time.

"Because," Momo snarled, her face a mask of rage again. "Those cowards used Hakufuku on him. He was scared and crying and they didn't want to deal with it so they just knocked him out."

"Well," said Unohana. "The spell should be wearing off soon so I wouldn't be too concerned."

"That's good," sighed Orihime, looking relieved. "Um, do you think you could maybe unbind us now?"

"Why don't you just have Momo do it?" Taunted Sui-Feng. "Since she's apparently so great at kido."

Before anyone could respond to either Sui-Feng or Orihime a soft sigh came from Ukitake's arms. They all turned to look as Aisamu stirred and then opened his eyes. They were a soft brown color, the same as Aizen's but also Orihime's. He looked around in confusion before looking up at Ukitake. He started to struggle in his arms as he asked softly, "Mama?"

"I'm right here, sweetie," Orihime called softly.

Aisamu looked over at her and took in her bound arms and sad eyes. He may not have known exactly what was happening but he knew his mama was in pain and he didn't like that. He began to struggle harder in an attempt to reach her. "Mama!" He cried.

When he realized the arms holding him were not going to put him down he twisted around to face Ukitake. "Mama." He said firmly, pointing over to Orihime.

"I'm sorry," Ukitake told him softly. "You can't go to Mama right now. My name is Juushiro Ukitake."

Aisamu just looked at him. He didn't care what his name was. "Down!" He commanded, pointing at the floor. Ukitake just shook his head and Aisamu grew angry. He grabbed Ukitake's long white hair and starting yanking on it as hard as possible.

Ukitake winced in pain and tried to grab his hand but by then Aisamu had managed to grab two fistfuls of hair and when Ukitake would pry one hand off, the other would just keep on yanking. Momo started to laugh.

"Aisamu," Orihime called, giving him a stern look. He stopped pulling Ukitake's hair but still kept a firm grip on it. "You stop that right now. That is not nice. Let go."

Aisamu knew she was upset with him but he was upset too! He gave her a sad look. "Mama…"

Orihime shook her head. "Don't give me that look. You let go of his hair and say sorry."

Aisamu did as he was told. "Sorry," he told her.

"Don't apologize to me," she said, nodding behind him. He had known who she wanted him to apologize too; he just didn't want to do it.

He turned to face the strange white-haired man. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Ukitake said with a little laugh. "I know you're probably mad and scared right now."

Aisamu really didn't understand what he was saying, and he didn't really care. He looked at him carefully and asked, "Mama?"

Ukitake shook his head again. "Not yet. I'm sorry."

Aisamu knew that he wasn't going to get put down now and he wasn't going to be held by his mama and listen to her sing softly to him. He started to shake slightly and ducked his head down to hide his tears. The sight of his obvious pain slightly softened some of the Captains hearts.

Momo glanced over at Orihime. During the entire exchange she had had a sad look in her eyes, obviously wanting to heed to her son's wishes and go over to him. Once she saw his tears though, the sadness gave way to a sort of agony that Momo also felt, although not as much as Orihime obviously did. Orihime turned and ducked away from him but before her hair hid her face completely, Momo saw that her eyes had started to turn gold.

Shinji's own eyes widened, for he too had been staring at Orihime's face and had seen the strange gold in her eyes. Before anyone could do anything, the bonds on Momo's arms disintegrated. She rotated her shoulders and then crawled over to Orihime, removing her bonds as well. Orihime stayed kneeling for a second longer before jumping to her feet and over to Ukitake, taking her son from his arms. Aisamu looked up in surprise when he felt himself being passed off and saw Orihime. He threw his arms around her neck and clung to her tightly, burying his face into the crook of her neck. She felt his tears on her skin and started cooing to him softly. Ukitake stood next to her, watching the mother and son carefully. He was the only one though; the other Captains were watching Momo.

"So," she said, staring directly in the Head Captains slitted eyes. "What happens now?"

**Whew! Alright so a few last things: 1. Aisamu is 18 months old and I have worked with kids his age before so I know that this is exactly what their reaction to not be allowed to go to their mother would be. Thought about having him hit Ukitake but decided pulling his hair would be funnier. 2. I know Orihime and Momo probably came off wrong in this chapter but I think their reactions are correct for this situation. Orihime is a mother desperately trying to save her son. And Momo… well, I personally felt she really didn't have a personality in the manga to begin with so I took some liberties with her. A better explanation of why they acted the way they did just now will be explained later. As always, please review and let me know what you thought!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Here is Chapter 3! Sorry for the late update! In case any of you noticed and were wondering, I did change the story summary because the first one sucked. Honestly, kind of surprised any of you even bothered to read this story with such a lame summary. Hopefully you guys find this one to be better. Happy readings!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Bleach or its characters but I am eternally thankful to Tite Kubo for creating it for us.**

Chapter 3

"So," she said, staring directly in the Head Captains slitted eyes. "What happens now?"

Momo made sure to keep her eyes strong and steady on the Head Captain. She couldn't show any fear or hesitation in front of the Captains. She knew they were surprised and a bit unnerved by her actions; they probably weren't expecting weak, hesitant Momo to have a grown a backbone. And they were mostly right in the assumption. She had no idea what she was doing. She had panicked and instinctively pulled up all the anger and rage she had towards these people and let it guide her actions but that couldn't work forever. Momo may have managed to grow a spine over the past two years but that didn't mean that she had become…well, a bitch.

She glanced over at Orihime and Aisamu. He was still shaking slightly and he had kept his face hidden in his mothers' neck. Orihime was glancing around cagily, as if she searching for a way to escape. Momo's heart ached for them. They didn't deserve this. It wasn't Aisamu's fault that he was born and that his father was an evil psychopath but that wasn't going to matter to them. All they cared about was that he could be a potential threat and it was better to kill him early than risk it. That was what the Gotei 13 and Central 46 had been like before and she figured that it was going to be the same now, if not even worse.

The Head Captain looked away from Momo towards Orihime and Aisamu. Orihime kept her eyes on him and steadied her breathing. She would not show any hesitation or fear. Right here and right now, these people were her enemy and she would stand her ground. After a long moment of silence Sui-Feng spoke up again.

"The proper thing to do is to turn them over to Central 46. We have a legal responsibility to-"

"Right," Momo practically snarled, reitsu flaring. "Because you're all about proper. After this, are you going to go arrest Yoruichi Shihoin for being a deserter?"

If Sui-Feng wasn't riled up before, she was now. "This is a completely different situation!" She spat at Momo.

"Really? How so? Because you're stalking her and probably stealing her dirty laundry, hiding it under your pillow, and sniffing it at night?" Momo knew that this behavior probably wasn't going to help her case but she couldn't stand Sui-Feng's attitude. She didn't know anything and yet there she was, trying to play judge, jury, and executioner.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" The Head Captain shouted. Everyone in the room jumped and then cringed as the Captains heavy reitsu washed over them. "Since you two can obviously not speak to each other civilly then I forbid you to speak to each other at all. The next time you speak to one other without express permission I will have both of arrested for insubordination. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir" both Momo and Sui-Feng muttered at the same time.

Before the Head Captain could speak any further, Momo spoke again. "Before you make your decision regarding what to do with us, I would like to say something." He nodded his approval and she continued.

"You can arrest me and throw me in jail for desertion."

"Momo!" Orihime cried out in shock and horror. Momo waved a hand at her to indicate that she wasn't done speaking yet.

"You can arrest me," she repeated. "But you can't arrest them."

"Oh really?" Shinji asked, interested. "And why is that?"

"Because they've broken no laws," she answered. "While I can be charged for desertion, you have nothing on them. What are you going to arrest them for? Are you going to arrest Orihime for being kidnapped, something that was our fault? Are you going to arrest her for having some sort of experiment done on her during her kidnapping, which was our fault? And are you going to arrest Aisamu for being born? For having to share DNA with Aizen? He didn't ask for that and last time I checked, none of those things are illegal. Unless of course you've declared existing to be a crime." It was silent for a moment after her speech.

"It may not be his fault who his father is," Kyoraku finally said. "But that doesn't change that the fact that he is still a potential threat."

The soul reapers all glanced over at Aisamu. Orihime had made sure his ears were covered once Momo started talking. The side of his head was resting right over her heart and she had her hand over his exposed ear. He was looking at all the Captains he could see, his eyes focused at that moment on Kyoraku, who looked right back at him. They stared at each other for a few minutes before Aisamu suddenly smiled and stuck his tongue out at him. Kyoraku's eyes widened for a moment and then he smiled back.

"Will that be what you tell the public?" Momo asked.

"What?" Kyoraku asked, looking away from Aisamu.

"Will that be what you tell the public?" Momo repeated. "That you murdered a one year old child because he _could_ be a threat? Bet they all will love that. They'll talk about how 'The Soul Society kills children because they could be evil'. You do realize what will result from that, right? Any people with morals who have spiritual pressure will refuse to join an organization that murders children because of what they could be. The only people who will join you will be disgusting thugs."

The room was silent again. Momo was right, as much as some of them hated to admit it.

Orihime spoke up now. "You can't decide someone's fate based on what they might be."

Everyone turned to look at her and she flinched inwardly. She hated being the center of attention but she needed to say this. "Everyone has the potential for both good and evil. Their fates are decided by their actions, most of which will be influenced on what they learn as a child. We learn the difference between right and wrong from the people who raise us and from our own experiences. You say Aisamu could be evil because Aizen is his father, but I'm his mother. I'm his mother and you all don't think I'm evil right?"

"Yes, Orihime, but Aizen did this for a reason," Unohana said in her usual gentle tone. "It is unreasonable for you to expect us to do nothing with that being a fact."

"I'm not asking you to do nothing. I'm just asking you to not decide that he's a monster before you've even met him. I'm asking you to not base your decision on what might be. You can't know for sure that he's going to be evil and if everyone based their decisions on what might be they would lose sight of what is." Orihime was pleading now.

"He may have the devil for a father," Momo spoke up again. "But he has an angel for a mother. Give us the chance to prove to you that he is not a threat. Give us that, before you make any rash decisions that may come back to haunt you."

Her choice of words seemed to affect the Head Captain. He stood there, seeming to mull over her words.

Sui-Feng looked shocked at the Head Captains contemplation. "You cannot actually be considering this right, Head Captain? That's Souske Aizen's son."

Momo's jaw visibly clinched but she didn't say anything.

Kyoraku spoke up now. "Really Old Man, what's the harm in letting them hang-out for a little while longer?"

"You mean other than the fact that they have the possibility of destroying us?" Sui-Feng snarled.

"I doubt the one year old boy is much of threat right now," Kyoraku countered. "And do you think we're not capable of handling a former lieutenant and a human girl?"

"I agree," Kurosutchi said, with a strange glint in his already mad eyes. "I could take the boy and study him to make sure he is not threat to us."

"Over my dead body," growled Momo, stepping in front of Orihime and Aisamu as Orihime twisted her body to shield her son from the crazy Captains sight.

Kurosutchi stared blankly at her. "That can be arranged."

Toshiro stepped forward, his hand on his sword. "Don't even think about it."

The Head Captain banged his staff on the floor, halting the argument before it could get too out of hand. "You all are acting like children and I will not have it."

He paused and waiting for everyone to resume their places before he continued. "I have made my decision. We will not do anything to the boy at this time. We will gather more information before we make our decision." Momo and Orihime both relaxed for the first time since entering the room.

"However," they tensed back up as he continued. "Until such a decision can be reached as to what is to be done with the boy, you will remain here in the Soul Society under the direct watch of the Captains."

Chaos erupted again. "This is absurd!" Sui-Feng shouted in rage.

"No way in hell!" Momo shouted over Sui-Feng's voice.

Orihime looked like she was about to faint.

The Head Captain didn't even bother to say anything, he just raised his spiritual pressure to the point where everyone felt like they were being crushed under a huge invisible weight. Aisamu, was unused to feeling such powerful spiritual pressure, began to wail.

"Stop it!" Orihime cried out, erecting her Soten Kisshun shield around herself and Momo and rejecting the Head Captains spiritual pressure from within it.

Sui-Feng and several other Captains immediately went for their zanpakto but the Head Captain waved them away and then lowered his spiritual pressure back to its original level.

"You can come out now," called Kyoraku. Orihime and Momo exchanged looks and Momo stepped away from Orihime and Aisamu. Orihime then shrank the barrier so that Momo was outside it. After making sure everything was alright, Momo nodded to Orihime and the barrier completely dissolved.

"Head Captain, you cannot possibly expect us to stay in the Soul Society for however long it will take you to realize Aisamu isn't a threat." Momo couldn't believe that the old man was actually trying to make them stay here.

"And why not?" He asked, calmly.

Orihime had managed to calm Aisamu down and stared at Head Captain while patting her sons back in a soothing manner. "We have lives back home. We have jobs and other obligations that we can't just up and leave with no notice. Also, despite the fact that you seem to think Aisamu is threat that is going to tear the Soul Society apart with his bare hands, he is only one and staying in an environment where everyone hates him is going to have a negative effect on him in the future. It may even turn him into the monster you seem to think he will be. Like I said, a person's personality and actions are based on their experiences while they're young. If you make it seem like the Soul Society hates him then he will grow to hate the Soul Society in return. And if none of those reasons are enough for you, then how about the fact that you have none of the material necessities we need. Aisamu needs clothes, diapers, wipes, books, toys, a crib; you know, normal things babies need and I doubt you have the same things we use back home which is what we would need to stay here. Children need to have familiar things around them, especially in a difficult situation such as this."

Momo was proud of her for saying all those things. They had always known that there was a possibility the Soul Society could find them and they had discussed any and all arguments that they should make. Orihime had nailed it, although neither of them had thought of the possibility that the Head Captain would try to keep them there.

"Are those all of your concerns?" The old captain asked calmly.

"One last thing," Momo said as something else occurred to her. "When you all learned about his existence, you wanted Aisamu killed. How do you think all of the other Soul Reapers will respond once they learn about it? You said you'll have us with Captain-class Soul Reapers at all times, but imagine the chaos that will erupt once everyone hears that Aizen has a son, who's in the Soul Society waiting to have his fate decided by the Captains. How many Soul Reapers will try to take matters in their own hands? This place will be blown away in a full-scale riot. It'd be a lot easier to keep things calm if we weren't here."

Momo mentally patted herself on the back for having such a brilliant argument. The Head Captain still had a blank expression on his face, which she was disappointed with because she had kind of been hoping he would at least look contemplative towards everything going on. Instead, he looked like he was asleep on his feet.

"I understand your concerns and have made my decisions regarding them," he told them calmly. The two girls glanced at each other. Made his decisions? That didn't even make sense.

"You, Orihime Inoue, will be allowed to return to the World of the Living," Momo's spirits lifted while Orihime's plummeted. She couldn't leave Momo here, not after everything she had done for them. "To collect your things." The Head Captain finished.

Silence. "What?" Momo asked.

"Orihime Inoue will be allowed to return to the World of Living for a short time under guard to collect the items she needs to stay here for as long as needed. The bigger things, such as a crib, will be provided for you. While you are collecting your things, Momo will remain here with the boy. Once you return, you will go to wherever your respective Captains decide to place you."

"Respective Captains?" Echoed Momo. "You mean you're going to separate us?" They couldn't separate them. They needed to be together. Orihime needed her, now more than ever. She couldn't leave her alone.

"Now now," said Kyoraku, sensing Momo's growing anger and panic. "It's for the best. We can't really tell how you guys are doing if you're all together now can we?"

Orihime looked at him for a moment. "You mean your studying all of us?" she asked softly. "But why? I thought you only care about Aisamu."

"Yes," said Ukitake in his usual soft tone. "But Momo made a valid point. When you returned from Hueco Mundo we didn't check to see how you were doing mentally. Because we saw no obvious wounds we assumed you were fine. Now we realize that we made a mistake and now we need to fix it."

Orihime's eyes seemed to harden. "It's a little late for that now isn't it?"

They were surprised by both her tone and the look in her eyes. The Captains who had met her before had known her to be a sweet, happy girl and the Captains who hadn't met her had heard her be described in such a manner. This girl was neither of those things and it left most of the Captains wondering what had exactly happened while she was gone.

Sui-Feng wasn't one of those Captains. Turning to the Head Captain she said, "I think I should be in charge of the boy."

Momo opened her mouth to argue but Ukitake beat her to it. "I don't think that is the wisest choice."

"And why not?" she asked, hostilely.

"Because you have obviously already decided that they should be executed," Kyoraku said with his trademark grin. "Therefore it should be someone a little more neutral."

"Oh my god," Momo said to no one in particular. "We're trapped here. We're actually trapped here. We're going to be stuck here until the day we die."

"Don't be so dramatic," Kyoraku chided lightly. "It won't be that bad."

She glared at him. "Oh really? It won't be that bad? So if constantly being hated and judged, having people attack you as often as possible and with everything they have, and being forced to watch as the people you care about more than anything in the world be persecuted for something they had no control over is not qualified as bad in your eyes then what does?"

"Nothing will happen to you while you're under our care," Ukitake tried to reassure her.

Momo gave a short laugh. "Yeah, that's real comforting coming from a man who can barely walk down the street without nearly coughing up his own lung."

"That's enough, Momo," Orihime stated, quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. For a moment, it had almost been like she wasn't there. A feeling she had been all too familiar with two years ago. She wasn't that girl from two years ago though, and she had no intention of fading in the background and letting her fate be decided for her.

Shifting Aisamu slightly she took a deep breath and looked around at all the Captains and finally rested her gaze on Momo. "That's enough," she repeated. "What's done is done and there is obviously no changing their minds. What's important now is making the best of our situation. And with that in mind," she then turned to face the Head Captain. "Who exactly will we each be staying with?"

Toshiro immediately stepped forward. "I request to have former-Lieutenant Hinamori placed into my care."

Momo rolled her eyes at his formalness. "Of course you do."

The Head Captain studied the child prodigy for a moment before nodding. "Your request is granted."

Sui-Feng stepped forward again. "And will I be allowed to take charge of the boy?" she asked, although it didn't really sound like a question. It was like she knew he would say yes.

"No." The Head Captain said.

She stood there for a moment with the same confident expression on her face until his words seemed to register and her look was abruptly changed to one of shock. "No?" She repeated.

"No." He stated, calmly. "Kyoraku is right. There needs to be someone more objective in charge of the boy and his mothers care."

"I am objective!" Sui-Feng shouted.

Momo started laughing, wishing she could say something but she took the Head Captains threat seriously and decided to keep her mouth shut. Sui-Feng glared at her in rage and was about to say something to her when Shinji spoke up.

"I'll watch out for them," he said with a trademark smirk. "It would be my honor."

Momo stiffened and locked gazes with him. "That's a terrible idea."

Shinji raised an eyebrow at her. "And why is that?"

"Because you would be a terrible influence on Aisamu and also because everyone knows about your issues with Aizen and I doubt you would really be inclined to give a child who shares his DNA a fair chance at proving himself. Not that a one year old should really have to prove himself in any way, shape, or form but hey, that's just my opinion." She wasn't sure why she didn't like him, after all, Orihime seemed to have liked him and she knew he had helped fight Aizen during the battle but still, there was something off about him. She may not have been exactly sure what it was but she thought it would be better safe than sorry and have Orihime and Aisamu as far away from this man as possible.

"I am great with children," Shinji said airily. "And while I may have issues on who his father is, I'm willing to give him a chance based on the identity of his mother." He grinned at Orihime, who just looked flatly back at him.

"You think you're great with children huh? Well, why don't we just ask." Momo turned to Aisamu, who lifted his head off of his mothers shoulder to be able to see her better, and said, "Hi sweetie. So tell me, do you want to stay with him for awhile?" She pointed at Shinji.

Aisamu turned and studied the man. He had weird sunny hair that wasn't straight like his moms was and there was something wrong with his face. His eyes weren't right, and neither was his smile. "No," he said distinctly, shaking his head.

"And there you go," Momo said, turning back to the returning Captain. "Guess you're not that great with children after all now are you?"

"Well, you don't have very many other options now do you?" He snapped. "In fact, you don't have any other options."

"I'll take Orihime and Aisamu," offered Ukitake.

Momo looked at him in surprise and she wasn't the only one. "You will?" asked Orihime in shock. She had gotten to know the Captain of Squad 13 quite well when she was last in the Soul Society training for the Winter War. Still though, she didn't expect for him to offer to take her and her son in, especially since he had almost been killed by Aizens espada.

"Course he will," cried Kyoraku, slinging an arm around the white-haired man. "And I'll help him keep an eye on the little troublemaker as well. What do you say, old man?"

"Very well," said the aged Captain. Shinji looked slightly put out. "Now then, we need to decide who will accompany the human back to the World of the Living."

Orihime wanted to remind him that she had a name, but it wasn't her place to say anything, especially since the Head Captain had helped her and her son by not putting them with Squad 2 Captain.

"You can't serious be planning on sending a Captain down with her just to get some supplies," Momo scoffed. "That's reckless and stupid. You would attract Hollows like flies if you did so."

"We don't need to send an actual Captain down with the girl," Kuchiki stated. "We just need to have her be escorted by someone of Captain class. Might I suggest my Lieutenant to be the one to go with her?"

"My Lieutenant could also accompany them," offered Ukitake, almost eagerly. Momo immediately felt suspicious at Ukitake's tone. His Lieutenant? Last time she was here, he didn't have a Lieutenant and he had no plans of getting one. Not after what happened to Kaien Shiba. Except, perhaps, for…

"No!" Exclaimed Momo.

Everyone stared at her. "No?" asked Captain Kuchiki.

"I mean," stumbled Momo. She had to be both quick and smart about this. If she came on too strong, then they would go ahead with that plan and she knew that wasn't a good idea. "Won't you need your Lieutenant to help you get things ready for Orihime when she comes back? I'm sure you're going to have to set up wards and barriers and other such things to make sure they stay locked in whatever you cage you put them into. And considering your condition, I'm sure you'll need all the help you can get." She truly didn't like being cruel to the gentle-hearted Captain but if his Lieutenant was who she thought it was, then she couldn't allow them to go with Orihime without her being there to help.

"She does have a point," Kyoraku pointed out with a grin before anyone could respond to Momo. "How about instead of your Lieutenant going we send my little Nanao with Orihime and Renji?"

Ukitake looked slightly disappointed for a moment but then smiled again nodded. "Of course."

The Head Captain nodded again and then said, "One final thing. No one, outside of the Captains and their Lieutenants, is to know about the child. I will not having have the Seireitei be thrown into a panic because word of this leaks out. Am I understood?" Everyone in the room nodded and the relief was plain on Orihime and Momo's faces. The Head Captain looked at the Captains for another moment and then said, "Good. This Captains meeting is now adjourned."

With a respectful bow to their leader all the Captains except for Toshiro, Ukitake, and Kyoraku left, Sui-Feng throwing the two girls and the small boy a contemptuous look. Once the door closed behind her, Orihime turned to look at Ukitake.

"Please don't worry about getting a crib or any other extravagant things," she told him softly. "We don't really need them."

"It's no trouble," he tried to reassure her.

"Really. In all honesty, it would be easier for me if you just found a mat or something similar for him to sleep on. I have a feeling he'll want to sleep with me most nights and it'll be easier for me if I don't have to get up to get him out of a crib." Aisamu began to squirm slightly in her arms and she tried to get a better hold him. When both Kyoraku and Ukitake looked at him, he hid his face in his mothers' hair and peeked through it at them shyly. Toshiro only had eyes for Momo though.

"Let's go," he ordered her, gruffly.

"Hang on for a minute," she said with exasperation. "I need to get Aisamu before you drag me to my cell."

"You can't bring him!" Toshiro sounded outraged.

"Yes, I can and I will. Orihime isn't allowed to bring him with her and when she can't watch him then I will be so you better get used to him, Captain Hitsugaya."

All she had done was called him by his proper title, but everyone in the room knew what it really meant. They were no longer childhood friends in her eyes. There was going to be a certain distance there, whether the child prodigy wanted it or not. His eyes tightened but he nodded. "Fine. Grab the kid and lets go."

Momo rolled her eyes but walked over to Orihime. "Come here sweetie. You get to hang out with me for awhile."

Aisam gripped his mother even tighter and shook his head. "No! Mama!"

"Mama will be right back," Momo told him, trying to unlock his arms from around Orihime's neck.

"No!" He cried, trying his best to shake her off him without letting go.

"Aisamu," his mother said, softly but firmly. "You need to go with Momo. I will be right back, I promise. I'm just going home to grab some our clothes and some of your things. Don't you want your toys? And your blankie?"

Aisamu still hesitated to let her go. He was scared that if he let her go, she wouldn't come back to him.

She knew what he was scared about, she could see it in his eyes. "Look at me." He refused to lift his head, keeping his face cuddled in her neck. Her hand came up and gently cupped his neck and head, forcing his head up and looking into his eyes. "Hey," she said softly with a loving smile. "Listen to me: I will be back. I promise. I'm just going to go get some things and then I will be right back. Okay? I promise I will come back."

He sniffled and nodded his head. She smiled through the ache in her chest that his sadness had caused her. An idea came to her and she let go of his head and reached up to grab her hairpins. Gently pulling them out of her hair, she handed them to her son. He just stared at them and then at her for a moment before releasing one arm from around her neck and carefully grabbing them in his small hand.

"I want you to hold onto those for me until I get home, alright?" She smiled brightly at his obvious shock. He might not have understood everything going on around him and everything that was said to him but he knew that those shiny blue things were very important to his mama. "Will you take care of those for me?" she asked.

He nodded solemnly at her and held them close to his heart. She gave him a huge grin that he automatically returned. "Thank you! Now, you watch Momo for me while I'm gone, okay? Don't let her get into any trouble."

" 'Kay." He was still grinning and went willingly to Momo.

Momo smiled at him and then looked at Orihime. "Be careful and come back soon."

Orihime could tell she was worried and smiled brightly at her. "Don't worry about me! I will be a-okay!"

Momo just looked at her and then turned to Toshiro. "Alright, let's go before I give myself a panic attack."

Toshiro nodded and then turned and walked out without a word to anyone. Momo rolled her eyes again and muttered, "Great. Love hanging out with uptight drama queens with height issues. Love it so much." And then she raced after him, making sure Aisamu's face was hidden in her neck.

Moments after they left, Lieutenants Abari and Ise flash-stepped into the room. "You sent for us Cap-" Ise started to say but then froze at the sight of Orihime. "Orihime Inoue?" she gasped.

Renji did a dramatic double-take. "Orihime?!" He looked closer at her. "Orihime! Oh my god it really is you!" He raced over to her. "We've been looking everywhere for you! Where the hell have you been?"

She instinctively shied away from the tall man talking loudly in her face. Kyoraku saw her discomfort and stepped over, throwing an arm around Renji and pulling him back slightly. "Now now Renji, don't go scaring the poor girl."

Lieutenant Ise, quickly getting over her shock, asked her Captain "Why were we summoned?"

Kyoraku looked at Renji, confused. "Didn't your Captain tell you?"

Renji shook his head and scowled. "Of course not. Just showed up, ordered me here, and then left again without saying another word."

Ukitake just laughed. "That's Byakuya for you."

Kyoraku gave a lazy grin. "You two were summoned to escort Ms. Inoue back to the World of the Living to get some of her things and then bring her back." At Renji's questioning look he elaborated. "She'll be staying with us for an undetermined amount of time so the Head Captain has allowed her to go back and get some of her things."

"And she needs both of us?" Ise asked, a bit skeptical. Why on earth would two lieutenants be required to escort one girl?

"Yes," said Ukitake. "I know it seems like a bit much but orders are orders."

She nodded at him. "Yes, sir."

"That's my girl!" Kyoraku crowed proudly, throwing an arm around Ise. She elbowed him roughly in the ribs and he doubled over.

Renji, still looking bewildered, cleared his throat. "So, shall we go?" he asked, trying to spare the old Captain anymore pain at the hands of his lieutenant.

Ise stepped away from her Captain and nodded. "Let's go."

Orihime smiled nervously at Renji. "Well, I guess you're going to get to answer your own question firsthand on where I've been. Hope it's not too much of a disappointment."

**Shippings and inner hollows. Just wanted to get that out there first for the people who don't read all the way through this. But yeah, what are you guys thinking for pairings and any other plot points? Any suggestions are appreciated, but just remember that I can't always do what you want. And now to my reviewers:**

**ECYA: I'm glad you're liking it! And I'm glad my characters are coming across the way I wanted them to! How did I do for this chapter? What pairings would you be interested in? Can't promise anything but… And yes, it's Sui-Feng. I was surprised too but I looked it up and that's how its spelled. Shrug.**

**leafpool5: Thanks for reviewing! I enjoy when people offer up things for me to think about. And to answer your question… I don't know. We'll have to see. ;)**

**Reader-Favs: Hope this helps clarify how Momo is feeling… Okay, no, it doesn't. But all will be explained soon! I promise! Just stay with me!**

**KazumaKaname: Is it still interesting or not… be honest. Tell me how you really feel. In a nice way hopefully.**

**Guest: I completely agree! Momo is not a weakling, she can't be if she's a lieutenant. I wanted to portray that side of her and I hope I'm doing well.**

**Bloody Onihime31: I love your reactions! I knew how you were feeling as you read and it made me happy! Thank you!**

**This chapter didn't end where I wanted it too but it was taking too long to finish so I stopped it here. I wanted to stop the chapter after they got back from her home but… sigh. What to do? At least the next chapter will hopefully be finished sooner! Let me know what you thought! Thank for reading!**


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